“Back in Action ”Ending Explained: What Really Happened to Chuck — and Will There Be a Sequel?

Stars Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz save the day in Netflix's latest action film 'Back in Action'

Warning: Back in Action spoilers ahead!

Married CIA operatives Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz) may have saved the day in Back in Action, but their mission appears to be far from over.

In the Seth Gordon-directed movie, which premiered on Netflix on Jan. 17, Foxx and Diaz's characters are pulled out of hiding when a terrorist they stole a dangerous device from discovers their whereabouts and kidnaps their two children, Alice (McKenna Roberts) and Leo (Rylan Jackson). Enlisting the help of Emily’s mother and former spy Ginny (Glenn Close) and her ex-boyfriend/fellow agent Baron (Andrew Scott), the couple jump back into action to rescue their family and secure the potentially devastating device before it falls into the wrong hands.

All things considered, Back in Action ends on a victorious note — except the man responsible for abducting their kids may not really be dead, and Emily’s mysterious father is apparently the only one who can track him down. This begs the question, is there a sequel in the works?

“There’s certainly an idea about who the dad could be and what the whole story could be about,” Gordon told Entertainment Weekly in January 2025. “[Netflix] won't even acknowledge the idea of a sequel yet! So if you put in a good word, maybe there's a chance.”

Here’s everything to know about the Back in Action ending and what it means for a potential sequel. 

How does Back in Action end?

The biggest twist in the film comes when Emily and Matt realize that it wasn't their former target who compromised them but their former CIA handler, Chuck (Kyle Chandler). After revealing his true intentions for revenge, he abducts the kids and flees to London with the ICS Key, a device that can control any electronic system.

The spy couple tracks him down to a gala, where he's planning to sell the key to the highest bidder. There, Chuck demonstrates the key's power by hacking into the Thames Barrier to open the floodgates. When he realizes they've found him, he attempts to escape on a boat with Leo and Alice through the opened Thames Barrier.

But Emily and Matt catch up to them just in time to save their kids and leave Chuck on the boat as it crashes into the closing barrier — presumably killing him. 

Is Chuck really dead?

While the fiery explosion is enough to make Emily and Matt believe that Chuck is dead, her ex-boyfriend and fellow agent Baron (Scott) believes otherwise. In the movie’s final scenes, he informs the couple that Chuck’s body was never found, and he may not be dead after all.

In a January 2025 interview with RadioTimes.com, Gordon said casting Chandler, who’s best known for playing good guys like Coach Taylor in Friday Night Lights, was a deliberate choice.

“You don't often see him in comedies, but you definitely don't often see him as the villain,” the director said. “So I thought [he was] perfect for that surprise."

Who is Emily’s dad?

Chuck’s possible escape isn’t the only bomb Baron drops on the couple. He not only needs their help to track him down but also the help of one of Emily’s relatives: her father, whose identity remains to be seen.

"Like you haven't brought up dad, but clearly Ginny (Close) was an interesting character back in the '70s,” Gordon told RadioTimes.com. “So who was she seeing, you know? That ... was the sort of instinct underneath it. And we toyed with whether or not to leave that in as a tease. And I'm really glad we did. I think it gets people to lean in."

The director said he has “some ideas” about who could play the part of Emily’s dad, but nothing has been confirmed.

Will there be a Back in Action sequel?

Netflix has not confirmed a sequel to Back in Action. However, Gordon revealed some of his plans for Matt and Emily’s kids if a follow-up film happened.

"Leo, who is based on my son ... he's now nine or 10 inches taller than he was,” the director told Entertainment Weekly. “His voice has dropped, so it wouldn't be picking up the next day. I think we would honor the truth of the timeline of their lives and show another event, sort of later in high school, for both of them.”